


In Harmony

by missema



Series: Forever In Love [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Post-Blight, Tropes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:49:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22767274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missema/pseuds/missema
Summary: Short fic collection for Alistair and Cordelia Cousland. Prompt me (thedivinemissema) on tumblr for additional chapters. I thought I had a short fic collection for them already, so I'm a little surprised I had to make one. Help me fill it by prompting me!
Relationships: Alistair/Female Cousland (Dragon Age)
Series: Forever In Love [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1244495
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	In Harmony

**Author's Note:**

> When I wrote this story, I realized that I'd made Cordelia a warden in this story, and she's generally not a warden. I don't mean to confuse, but this Cordy has been a Grey Warden. Take it as an AU of Wise Deceit, which I think of as canon for Alistair/Cordelia. This little story was part of my sex tropes list for them, and while I love it, I did want to acknowledge that I plan to write a follow up to Wise Deceit and discuss the fertility issues of a non warden queen and Alistair later.

They were supposed to be Grey Wardens. She knew what she’d done, what she’d allowed Morrigan to do with the knowledge that Fiona left behind. They’d needed it, but Cordelia had never told Alistair it came from his mother. She wasn’t even supposed to know that part, but Fiona had all but confirmed it in her wordless way, and the evidence was there, when Cordelia knew where to look. Maric had loved Fiona, however briefly, and Alistair had been hidden because of Loghain’s temper, but both Maric and Loghain were in a place where she couldn’t have words with them about it. The knowledge of his parentage would likely not serve Alistair any good, and so she kept it away for a time when it might. It was so far in the past these days that the knowledge didn’t weigh on her, didn’t even cross her mind most of the time.

Alistair had grown more beautiful as he aged, and every day it was her blessing to be wed to him. He was elf-blooded, she could see that so clearly now that she’d met his mother, even if he didn’t know. That and the release from the Taint made him age slowly, and he was more like a man of his mid-twenties than mid-thirties. He certainly complained more about his aches and pains now, but his hair had no silver, and only the faint tracery of crinkling lines around his eyes betrayed that he’d aged at all from the man that marched through the gates of Denerim and saved the world.

There had been men before him, and then discreetly, the two of them had asked people to their bed. It had started with Captain Isabela during the Blight, but it didn’t end there. Before Alistair, she took the teas that her mother had given her, and laughed in the face of the thought of a babe or needing to hurry to the altar. Her father had worried, because Fergus had upended Oriana before they’d finished the formal agreements, and Oren had been born just early enough to get tongues wagging. As she’d grown into her womanhood, she’d taken many men and women to her bed, and nothing befell her. In her youth, she thought that lucky. As a married woman, she’d cried over it, the bitter, angry tears of someone up against a wall that they could not go around or even see the end of from their position. For years she thought that Morrigan’s cure hadn’t taken, and she was still a Grey Warden even if Alistair wasn’t.

“Tell me what’s wrong, Your Highness,” the mage said in a quiet voice. The woman was young, but she had demeanor of someone with much knowledge and experience, and Cordelia had trusted her immediately. Her name was Sarai, and that felt familiar to her, though she’d known no one else with the same name.

“I cannot seem to regain myself, and I am always fatigued. No matter how much I sleep, it’s not enough, and I grow hot easily, though it is unlike a fever,” Cordelia explained. She wasn’t doing it justice. It was like her body was stuck in mud and her mind mush. Tired was the polite way of putting how she felt, because she wanted to fall over backwards onto her feather mattress and make residence there.

“For how long have you felt this way?” Sarai asked.

“It’s been weeks. The King grows worried, since I am supposed to go on a trip, and I am not feeling well enough to do so.”

“Of course, Your Highness. Please lie back, and I will see what I can figure out,” she said.

Cordelia let the magic wash over her, and her eyes closed without her volition. The feeling of Sarai’s magic tasted of her, calming and cool and sweet, even as it gently probed at Cordelia, trying to discern what plagued her. She was nearly asleep when Sarai gave a deep chuckle and asked her to sit up.

“Your Highness, I know what ails you,” Sarai said, and her voice was amused. “You are with child.”

“Excuse me?” Cordelia asked, shocked.

“A baby. I can feel the heartbeat, strong and steady, so I’d say you are about two months, mayhap a little more or less. Only you and His Highness might know for certain.”

“I’m having a baby?” she asked, it came out a whisper, though she hadn’t intended it. 

“You are healthy, but the process of making a new person is fatiguing, and can make you warm up quickly when you exert yourself. It takes much of you early on. Later as the baby grows nearer to birth, it will take much of you again, but it’s because the baby is making itself fat and strong as it starts to become independent from you.”

“I know nothing of childbirth, or even of the process of increasing. My mother is at the Maker’s side, and I was so young that I wasn’t ready when she was alive. She simply told me to come to her if I found myself in a predicament, so that she and my father could figure out what to do next. They would have loved that I married Alistair,” Cordelia said, and the last part was more to herself than Sarai. Still, the mage nodded, and bade her to lay back down and be more comfortable.

“The process can be easy if there are no complications. Walk when you have the energy, since that is the best exercise. Eat heartily, but not overmuch. Do not drink wine, for it will make your baby upset and disagree with you no matter how much water you put in it. The same for hot baths, they will agitate your baby, so make sure the water is lukewarm. Have your gowns made looser, and let your hair grow, since it will grow faster with a babe in your belly. Let His Highness rub your feet and back when they ache, Call on the midwife or me if you feel anything is wrong, even if you don’t have proof. You know your body, and even as it changes, you can feel when it isn’t right,” Sarai said in her comforting voice.

“I will not be making my trip then,” Cordelia said, and a wave of relief so profound washed over her, that she felt guilty about being so happy to abandon her responsibility.

“Travel may not agree with you, Your Highness, but I would advise you stay home. I say this not only because you should not be on an extended trip, but because your state will start to show in ten or tweleve more weeks. It will make you a target, since you are creating the heir to a kingdom.”

Whatever thoughts Cordelia had before, they were cleared out of her mind when Sarai said that. She was making an heir, not just hers, but Alistair’s heir, the future queen or king of Ferelden. It felt so precious, she wanted to cry, and Maker, was she ever frightened. If her parents were still here, maybe they’d understand how she felt. The shock was so great after all this time. In the morning she’d send for Fergus, and talk to him. Perhaps he or his new wife would have something useful to tell her, counsel or comfort to give. This dizzying news had her feeling as though she were in need of both.

She wasn’t sure what she said to get Sarai to leave, but Cordelia was left alone to sleep, and she let the darkness take her and pull some of the tiredness out of her overwhelmed body and mind.

#

Cordelia didn’t come to dinner. She hadn’t come to him in the afternoon when the healer was gone, and Alistair rushed through the halls up to their room. Dinner had been formal but quiet, just him and handful of the usual nobility and petitioners, people with whom he wanted to cultivate good will, but not extend too much to at the same time. It was tiresome, and he’d been distracted without Cordelia at his side. Much had been made of the queen’s absence, but he didn’t betray anything. If she was ill, it did no good for the people to know, so he simply said that she was busy. He gave his usual affable smile, and pretended he knew nothing more than that he’d been informated that she sent her regrets, but was inundated with work. Funny thing, using a word like innundated made people believe he knew what he was talking about.

Dinner went on too long for his liking, but Alistair pled more work and left as quickly as possible. He raced through the halls, and got to their shared chambers. Alistair didn’t stop until he nearly tripped over the dogs, and even then that only slowed him. Apologizing in a whisper to Callie, Alistair kept moving. He skidded to a stop at the end of his own bed, when he found Cordelia sleeping in the middle of it with the curtains around it open. She looked peaceful, beautiful as she lay there, her even breathing making her chest rise and fall as he watched. His own heart started to slow down from his rapid run as he stood there in silcene, watching her. She was curled on one side, her dark hair in a braid that laid messily on her pillow, and he knew she’d been sleeping all day. Whatever the healer said, she must have needed the rest.

He wanted to join her, but it was more important that he wake her for dinner. At the best of times he would have been wary of waking his wife, and at the worst he could admit that he was scared to do it. But right now she was sick, and probably needed some help. Alistair rang for her food, giving instructions for bread and broth in a whisper, and then set to waking Cordelia.

“Cordy. Cordy. It’s far past supper time. Wake up,” he said, shaking her gently. “I know you’re ill, but you have to take some food today.”

“Alistair. stop shaking me,” she said sleepily, slurring into his sleeve. She blinked blearily at him, and he felt himself grinning down at her, her sweet, sleepy confusion bringing it out of him unbidden.

“Sorry. Are you up?”

“I didn’t mean to worry you. Yes, I’m awake. I thought I could come down to dinner, but I was too tired. The healer, did you talk to her?” Cordelia asked, and now there was something about her that looked anxious. He shook his head, and worry flooded him, because the way she was staring at him felt bad. She was sick.

But then Cordelia gave him such a beautiful smile, he could almost feel his worry melting away. Her eyes were still tired, but they shone bright in her face, and they crinkled into tiny spots of grey as she looked up at him.

“It’s a baby, Alistair. We’re going to have a baby. I’m not ill, just exhausted.”

He felt himself slide down into the bed, but he wasn’t aware he’d done it until Cordelia was cradling him. It was taking too much air to breathe. After all these years, they’d finally managed it. The ceiling spun slightly, and Alistair closed his eyes on it, willing it to stop. If this was a dream, he wasn’t sure if it was a good one or one that made him so anxious he wanted to wake up. It wasn’t a dream. He could hear his heart racing in his ears, and Cordelia was laughing softly in his shoulder. 

“Is this how I manage to bring you to your knees? All I have to do is tell you I’m with child, and then the kingdom is mine,” she teased. 

It was her gentle laughter that brought him back to himself in part. He was still so stunned he felt dizzy, but the sound of her happiness made part of him snap back into place. Alistair reached out for her hand and brought it to his lips, planting a kiss on her open palm. Cordelia snuggled into his side.

“A baby? And the healer was certain?” he finally asked.

“Yes. She could sense the heartbeat.”

“I’m to be a father?” he asked, and Cordelia laughed again. It sounded sweet, merry, and relieved.

“With the Maker’s help to get me through the delivery. Him and the midwife,” she said, and Alistair hugged her tighter.

“Well that’s just about the best thing I’ve ever heard,” he said, because he couldn’t think of what more to say. It felt inadequate, but Alistiar was sure his smile filled in all the gaps for the words he couldn’t form and the feelings he couldn’t yet name.


End file.
